Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes participated in his first Eagles Youth Partnership Playground Build on Wednesday. Spikes wrote about his experience, what he learned and how he wants to inform the rest of Commissioner Roger Goodell's player-advisory committee about the event in his exclusive blog ...

"You never really know how much an NFL team is involved in the community. Some are more involved than others. On a personal note, I can now really see how much the Eagles do on an intricate, detailed level.

"I did a lot of community work with both of the teams I previously played for - Buffalo and Cincinnati, but I can truly say on this magnitude, this level, with everybody joining in, this by far ranks among the top events that I've ever participated in.

Linebacker Takeo Spikes was thoroughly impressed with the impact of the Playground Build

"I think the most impressive part of the Eagles Youth Partnership Playground Build is that you not only get the players down here, but you get guys from the front office who are here as well. The owner himself, Jeffrey Lurie, is out here, sweating - getting lathered up as Coach Reid says - I think that's the most impressive thing.

"I think, personally, just interacting with the kids is something you want to do. I think, right now, we're out here for at least two hours. The first hour we finish up on the projects that everyone has been working on. The hour after that we get a chance to interact with the kids and show them that this is the finished product that we provided for you guys.

"It's definitely a start in terms of connecting with the community. You want to get out and give back to the community. Where I'm from - I grew up in Sandersville, Georgia - what's important to me is seeing how some kids are raised and how I grew up. I can relate to them. I came from a household where we had everything we needed, but didn't have everything we wanted. You see people out here showing them there is hope and that these guys really do care as professional football players.

"What did I do out here? While some of the other guys have been getting the cement from the dump truck into the wheelbarrow, I've helped out filling the holes with cement and after we filled the holes we went around and leveled it out.

"I know that as a player elected to the Player's Advisory Committee, a lot of younger players have come up to me and asked me a lot of questions about things on and off the field. I express to those players that giving back to the community is very important. What the Philadelphia Eagles do, on this level, is remarkable and I am proud to be part of it.

"We are role models to younger kids, kids who have dreams of becoming professional athletes. We have to worry about the integrity of our character as men on and off the field because kids are watching us and paying attention to what we are doing.

"When you are dealing with character issues, you have to make it important to you, because if you don't, Commissioner Goodell will make it important to you. That helps put the flame out before it even gets started."

For more from Takeo Spikes, visit his Web site at TakeoSpikes51.com.